# Trump: Will anything good come from his presidency? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 17, 2017, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-anything-good-come-from-his-presidency/780038 "2017-02-17T12:55:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-anything-good-come-from-his-presidency/780038/21 "2017-02-18T01:05:21Z")
Actually, on consideration yes. If he breaks and reforms the American secret services, that could only be good. No matter what _his_ motivations and no matter how much virtue in the fact they oppose him, they have done a lot of harm over the years; and need reining in. ---
**Author:** ![Marion\_Wormer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@Marion\_Wormer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marion_Wormer)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-anything-good-come-from-his-presidency/780038/22 "2017-02-18T01:32:44Z")
> [@Sam\_Lowry](#): > > …They could try to repeal Obamacare for years because they knew it wouldn’t actually happen. Now that they do have the power to do it, they are flailing. It’s harder to govern than just obstruct and complain. It’s like the Republicans didn’t expect to win. They weren’t prepared with plans to execute any of their core mantras : get rid of /replace ACA, lower taxes, … Because no one seems to have a plan that isn’t risible (or ‘secret’, Honestly, that’s the ‘plan’ of a 10 year old) I mean, if you’re serious, you have a plan. Or at least a planning committee with industry members. But no, the Republicans were completely taken by surprise by the hospital, pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies horror at cancelling ACA because they had spent the better part of several years getting things set up to support it. Instead the Republicans wave their hands around at meetings “We’re going to cancel Obamacare!” Then God forbid if someone asks ‘WHAT’S THE IMPACT OF THAT!’ because they don’t have an answer. ---
**Author:** ![Esox\_Lucius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Esox\_Lucius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esox_Lucius)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-anything-good-come-from-his-presidency/780038/23 "2017-02-18T02:57:36Z")
[Garry Kasparov](http://www.vox.com/conversations/2017/2/11/14577834/garry-kasparov-putin-trump) had an astute observation: > [@](#): > > We gave Putin a chance in Russia, and it was the last free election we ever had. It’s far better to act and later admit you overreacted than to do nothing until it’s impossible to act. Still, the United States is not Russia; institutions are far stronger. They’ve just grown atrophied through lack of rigorous use, like an immune system that hasn’t been under a direct attack in so long it can’t respond to an infection. The patient should come out of it stronger. As long as it doesn’t kill him, that is. ---
**Author:** ![Esox\_Lucius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Esox\_Lucius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esox_Lucius)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-anything-good-come-from-his-presidency/780038/24 "2017-02-18T03:06:03Z")
> [@2Bits](#): > > So you don’t foresee any long term (or permanent) damage? Even if Jesus Christ Hisself becomes president in 2020, I wonder how much long-term faith the rest of the world will have in the U.S., knowing it could elect another Trump, or worse, in 2024. I think America’s influence as a civilizing (for lack of a better word) force in the world is taking a major long-term hit. ---
**Author:** ![Esox\_Lucius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Esox\_Lucius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esox_Lucius)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-anything-good-come-from-his-presidency/780038/25 "2017-02-18T03:09:12Z")
> [@Evan\_Drake](#): > > Actually, on consideration yes. If he breaks and reforms the American secret services, that could only be good. No matter what _his_ motivations and no matter how much virtue in the fact they oppose him, they have done a lot of harm over the years; and need reining in. Isn’t it crystal clear yet, beyond any shadow of a sliver of doubt, that the only way he would “break and reform” the intelligence agencies would be to his own benefit, not the country’s? He has as much interest in a more accountable security apparatus as he does in a dead dog. So far, the only effective ammunition against Trump has come from their intel. Appreciate what you’ve got now. It’s only going to get worse if Trump can get his way with it. ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-anything-good-come-from-his-presidency/780038/26 "2017-02-18T03:11:46Z")
> [@Grey](#): > > I’m hoping for a renewed internationalism instead of this lurching love affair with ethnic nationalism. Otherwise… > > The A **s** cension of the Ordinary Man > The As **c** ension of the Ordinary Man > The Ascension **o** f the Ordinary Man > The Ascension of the O **r** dinary Man > The As **c** ension of the Ordinary Man > The Ascension of t **h** e Ordinary Man > The Ascension of th **e** Ordinary Man > The Ascension of the Or **d** inary Man > Th **e** Ascension of the Ordinary Man > The **A** scension of the Ordinary Man > The Ascension of the O **r** dinary Man > The Ascension of **t** he Ordinary Man > The Ascension of t **h** e Ordinary Man I’m just glad we don’t have an orbital defense system. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-anything-good-come-from-his-presidency/780038/27 "2017-02-18T03:24:01Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > If Trump himself does go down in a metaphorical ball of flame, I see one possible “good” thing that could come out of it: if things progress to the point that Republicans in Congress are calling for Trump to resign (perhaps unlikely but still far more likely than for any President since Nixon), then Trump’s personality seems to be such that he’d be incapable of going down quietly – he might run third party, start a new conservative (or just xenophobic/white nationalist) party or news network, or just go scorched earth on his own party on the way out the door, resulting in a schism between the Trump base and Republicans that will not be easy to heal. > > That might be a very good thing, if it happened. There will always be a good 35% who will think that Trump was hard done by the political elites and that he was done in by dirty tricks, that his vision of our country was the right one and he was never even allowed out of the gate because of everyone who hates change and who hates the real America. His irrelevant personal foibles aside (they would say) he was a good man with a great vision. I very much fear that the necessary lessons for the left are not being learned. I don’t mean the lessons about how to stay in office. I mean the lessons about why it’s important for the right people to be in office. Everyone is so fixated on being anti-Trump that they don’t seem to be for much of anything. So please, liberals and progressives, even while you are resisting Trump’s “movement,” get together with each other and plan your agenda for when you are back in the saddle. Don’t suddenly wake up one day with the power to do good and no plans of what good you are going to do. Don’t wait for a great leader to set the agenda, make a great agenda and lead for it yourselves. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-anything-good-come-from-his-presidency/780038/28 "2017-02-18T05:21:02Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Every so often we have to elect a Republican President to remind us why we shouldn’t elect a Republican President. But there are apparently a lot of people who can’t hold a thought for four years. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-anything-good-come-from-his-presidency/780038/29 "2017-02-18T05:59:26Z")
> [@2Bits](#): > > So you don’t foresee any long term (or permanent) damage? There will definitely be long term damage, maybe permanent damage. Anyone who’s deported and not able to get back in will be damaged. If DACA people are deported, then that’s permanent damage for a lot of people’s trust in the government; there’s no reason to ever trust the government because they might just take your information and use that to round you up. If anyone loses their Obamacare then that’s damage, and some of those people could die. If Betsy DeVos is able to change the education system, then some kids could get behind in their education and have a hard or impossible time catching back up. If Scott Pruitt is able to roll back a lot of EPA regulations, or just completely destroy the EPA then that’s a lot of damage that could be done that could take years to repair, if ever. I know there are other things I’m not thinking of. There are ways to fight back and try to limit the damage, but there will be damage to people. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-anything-good-come-from-his-presidency/780038/30 "2017-02-18T15:18:36Z")
Assuming we survive Trump (for some value of survive) maybe at least half of us will finally notice that congressmen (of both parties) represent mainly their true constituencies, namely the people who fund their elections. I don’t know what can be done about it. I call it bribery, but I seem to be alone. I recall one congressman who said that, to fund his re-election campaign, he had to raise $30,000 _every week_ and that if he missed one week, he had to raise $60,000 the next. Given that, how can he spend any time on Congress’s real business? Or learn the issues. And he certainly cannot do anything against the interests of his donors, whatever his constituents needs. Could the peeps finally wake up and change this? One can only hope. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-anything-good-come-from-his-presidency/780038/31 "2017-02-18T16:25:06Z")
I like his SCOTUS pick. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-anything-good-come-from-his-presidency/780038/32 "2017-02-18T17:07:39Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > . . . So please, liberals and progressives, even while you are resisting Trump’s “movement,” get together with each other and plan your agenda for when you are back in the saddle. Don’t suddenly wake up one day with the power to do good and no plans of what good you are going to do. Don’t wait for a great leader to set the agenda, make a great agenda and lead for it yourselves. Joking, surely? The left has LONG had a very detailed and exact agenda. Fight pollution via regulation on industry; raise the minimum wage; defend civil rights equality for minorities; protect a woman’s right to choose an abortion; maintain a top-rate public education system, and expand access to colleges; proactively prepare for global climate change, and try to move away from high-carbon energy; and dozens and dozens of other items. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-anything-good-come-from-his-presidency/780038/33 "2017-02-18T17:17:36Z")
Seeing Steve Bannon’s splotchy complexion and filmed eyes on my news feed every day has finally convinced me to get my drinking under control. Last time I was reading the news with a big glass of bourbon in my hand, I thought, “Jesus, that’s what I’m going to look like in 10 years.” Haven’t had a drop since. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-anything-good-come-from-his-presidency/780038/34 "2017-02-18T20:23:08Z")
Well thanks to the convenience of ActBlue I’ve been making a bunch of rage donations from my phone. Grant it’s only a few dollars each, but if you multiply that by a few million people. Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-anything-good-come-from-his-presidency/780038/35 "2017-02-18T21:11:52Z")
No, not really. The best I can come up with is that he will mildly damage the GOP brand for a while, and he will make the opposition to him stronger. Blue states, large cities, liberals, etc. are all organizing in ways we didn’t under Obama. But positive policy from Trump? I don’t know if I see those. Even when he has a good idea like letting medicare negotiate Rx prices, he backs off the next day. I guess most of what he will do as president is push plutocratic policy and then throw a few token items at his rabid white nationalist base. Nothing good will come from any of that. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-anything-good-come-from-his-presidency/780038/36 "2017-02-18T21:35:43Z")
Of COURSE some good things will happen (you and I may disagree on what “good things” are, of course). I just hope those few good things will justify the undeniable potential for disaster. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-anything-good-come-from-his-presidency/780038/37 "2017-02-18T23:31:49Z")
There can be some good. He can be so hard on environmental protections that the push back might re-ignite the moribund environmental movement and let us start making progress again. The H-1B program was a bad idea and allowed to go on far too long. It sounds like Trump might put an end to it or at least seriously overhaul it. I’m sure that there will be some other positives out of his reign of terror. But I think most of us think the ledge will be weighed very strongly in the negative. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-anything-good-come-from-his-presidency/780038/38 "2017-02-19T11:31:56Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Well, a nuclear winter might help combat global warming. After, of course, a very short term but dramatic increase in warming. One good thing: we’re likely to get some really amazing protest music, art, etc. On the other hand, we’re also going to get lots of really shitty protest music, art, etc. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-anything-good-come-from-his-presidency/780038/39 "2017-02-19T12:52:49Z")
> [@Evan\_Drake](#): > > Actually, on consideration yes. If he breaks and reforms the American secret services, that could only be good. No matter what _his_ motivations and no matter how much virtue in the fact they oppose him, they have done a lot of harm over the years; and need reining in. What are you talking about? (Not meant as a snark). ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-anything-good-come-from-his-presidency/780038/40 "2017-02-19T13:44:41Z")
It doesn’t look like he wants to invade places and kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people, nor engineer the same through third-party knuckleheads, which is the basic starting point with US presidents. He seems to want to bring back good old US type and scale torture, so there is that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-anything-good-come-from-his-presidency/780038.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-anything-good-come-from-his-presidency/780038.md?page=3)